I claimed her mouth with mine and loved every single second of it.
She melted into me so perfectly.
She kissed me back as if she needed me to survive, and most of all… I loved the way she tasted.
Fuck… her taste will haunt me. There’s no doubt about that.
I’ve gone years imagining how her mouth would taste, and I know without a doubt that now that I’ve tasted her, I’ll only want her more. There’s no more pretending that I don’t. I can’t do it anymore. There’s no going back now.
That only means I need to pull harder until she’s tired of pushing me away. I need to show her that we can work. We can make us work, and make people understand that we belong together. Always have.
I place my hand on the front door and lower my head. “Kota. Talk to me.” Moving my hand down to the knob, I give it a turn, but it’s locked. “Dammit, Kota. Don’t do this shit. Open up.”
She still doesn’t respond after five solid minutes of waiting, which means she’s most likely not going to anytime soon without me pushing her.
“Dammit, Kota!” I push away from the front door, before I jog down the steps toward the driveway.
As much as I want to stick around and talk some sense into her, I know Dakota more than anyone. She needs some time alone to think. She’ll only push me further away and hate me if I force her to talk right now.
So, I won’t.
I’ll give her a day if she needs it. I’m man enough to give her that, but I’m not sure I can give her more.
Getting behind the wheel when my mind is going a million miles per minute is probably not the greatest idea, so I take off walking down the road, just needing to fucking breathe before I suffocate.
I keep trying to imagine what she’s doing now that she’s alone, and how she’s feeling. My chest feels like it’s caving in from all the pressure.
Knowing Dakota, she’ll keep her true feelings from me, but I want nothing more than to crawl inside her body and pull them from her.
It’s driving me completely mad right now that I’m here on this goddamn road instead of in her house with her, talking about what the hell just happened between us.
It’s seriously taking everything in me to keep walking straight ahead and not turn back around to go kick her door in to get to her. “Shit.”
I need to give her time but that’s going to take some serious convincing.
I barely get ten minutes from Dakota’s house when I find myself turning back around and staring down the path I want to be taking.
The one that leads right back to Dakota.
With my jaw flexed, I pull out my phone and shoot a quick text to her. It’s all I can do to stop myself from walking in her direction.
Easton: We’re going to talk about that kiss sooner or later, and I’d rather it be sooner. Don’t think for one second I’ll forget it happened. That day will never come.
I stand here for a few minutes, as if I expect she’ll text me back or something, before I take off walking again. It’s not until a text comes in from Roman that I realize my feet were taking me right back toward Dakota’s house.
I stop in place and prepare what the hell I’m going to say back to him before I even open the message. There’s a chance that Dakota is so pissed at me for kissing her that she told her brother everything after I left.
This is going to be one hell of a night.
Roman: I’m off. Meet me at the pub for a few drinks.
All right, so maybe he wants to kick my ass in person instead of over text?
Understandable.
Running my hands over my face, I take a few seconds to gather my thoughts before I take off and head toward the pub.
By the time I get there, it’s just past nine and there’s a total of five cars in the whole lot. During the week, it’s usually slow after dinner. I suppose I should be thankful it’s not going to be full of people when Roman calls me out and kicks my ass for touching his baby sister.
Before going inside, I lean against the building and pull out a cigarette. I’ve been trying to quit over the last six months, but being back here has me feening to start up again.
And I’m pretty sure now is the perfect time to start back up. Especially since I have nothing else to calm my nerves at the moment.
Closing my eyes, I place the cigarette between my lips and inhale long and slow, just enjoying the feel of the smoke filling my lungs.
I already feel a bit of calmness take over, and it makes me question why I decided to try and give up smoking in the first place.
But I know the answer to that quite well.
Because smoking is the very thing that took my dad away when I was just seventeen.
I’m just about to take my last drag when the door opens beside me to Stiles stepping outside. He smiles and pulls a joint out from behind his ear. “How’s it going, champ? Didn’t think you were showing up tonight.”
I exhale and toss my smoke down next to my boot, snuffing it out. “Nah, I just didn’t text Roman back. Figured I’d let him know I was coming when I showed up.” I push away from the building and check out the fresh tattoo of a crow down his forearm. “Your own design?”
“Hell yeah.” He grins and raises his arm, showing it off to me. “Did it myself this morning. Started at like six and didn’t finish it until about three hours ago. Pretty dope, right?”
I nod and offer him a smile. “Hell yeah. You’re a great artist, man. Maybe I’ll get one from you before I leave town.”
“Well, hell, you better.” He nods toward the door. “Roman is over at the pool table in the very back. My damn sister has been on his nuts all day. Do me a favor and don’t fall for her shit if she flirts with you. She wants Roman, but she’s playing some kind of stupid game to see how much he wants her back. You know?”
“I gotcha, Stiles. Besides…” I stop to look back at him while reaching for the door. “There’s someone I plan on fighting for no matter what it takes. Blake or any other girl all over me is the last thing I want.”
His eyes go wide for a moment, as if he knows exactly who I’m referring to. “Some girl back home?” He watches me hard, waiting for my response.
“Yeah, I guess you could say she’s from my home.”
He looks nervous as he takes a long hit from his joint, but doesn’t say anything as I pull the door open and leave him outside.
Stiles has been around since the beginning. Surely, he’s picked up hints in the past that I’ve always had feelings for Dakota that run much deeper than just friendship.
Truthfully, I’ve almost told him more than a few times over the years, because I just needed someone to know. Anyone other than just myself.
But he’s just as close to Roman as he is me, and with Stiles having the big mouth he does, the whole town would’ve found out within a week.
Mae is leaning against the bar but nods her head and smiles when she notices me approaching. It’s then that I notice for the first time that she has her dimples pierced.
“Hey, cute stuff. Long time no see.” I pull out my wallet and offer her a smile as she reaches into the cooler for a beer. “Didn’t really get a chance to say hi the other night with it being so chaotic in here. How have you been?’
I grab for the beer and shrug. “Not too bad. How have things been around here for you? I see you finally got those dimples of yours pierced. Looks good.”
She grins and looks me over as if she’s checking to see how I’ve changed since I’ve been gone. From what I can tell, she likes what she sees. “I can’t complain. Good company is all I can really ask for and there’s plenty of that around here.” She grips my bicep and gives it a quick squeeze. “Good to have you back for a bit. Hope it’s for a while.”
“Thanks, Mae. It’s good to see ya.” I drop a ten down in front of her and hold my beer up. “Thanks.”
Before I attempt to make my way toward the back of the bar, I take a few swigs from the bottle in my hand and watch as Roman, Bla
ke, and Sylvia interact around the pool table.
From what I can tell, Roman doesn’t look pissed. He just looks a bit annoyed from Blake being over his shoulder. And trust me, I know when he’s pissed. It’s obvious.
I always hated pissing him off when we were kids.
Blake is the first to notice me coming their way and she quickly moves away from Roman and walks over to stand next to Sylvia. Her gaze runs over the length of my body, before she lifts a brow and whistles. “Someone’s a dirty boy.”
“Still hot though,” Sylvia adds.
“Never said he wasn’t.”
Sylvia takes her time looking me over too.
“Calm your tits, ladies. He’s here for me, not you.” Roman looks up from the pool table, looking relieved to see I’ve made it. “About damn time. I’m tired of playing pool by myself.”
“You’re not.” Stiles appears out of nowhere, holding a tray of shots. “You’ve been playing against me for the last hour.”
“Exactly.” Roman grins and tosses the cue stick down. “It’s basically playing by myself, because you’ve only managed to knock in three balls the entire time.”
“Well, shit, asshole. Do you see this?” Stiles throws his arm in the air. “My hands are tired after spending ten plus hours on this masterpiece. What do you expect?”
“For you not to play like a girl. My sister can shoot pool better than your ass can. It’s pretty pathetic, Stiles.”
Usually, listening to these two bickering like a married couple would have me laughing, but all I can think about is Dakota shutting me out.
So, I do my best to give off the impression that I want to be here right now. I hate the fact that I have to pretend with my best friend.
“This is what I came back for. To listen to you two dicks bicker like an old married couple.” I grin and reach for a shot. “I’ve missed this place.”
Roman wraps his arm around my neck and squeezes me in close so that he can speak into my ear. “I love you, brother. You’ll always be my family, blood or not. You’re my truest friend. There’s no one I trust more than you.”
His words have me feeling guilty, and all I can do not to tell him right here and now is grab for another shot and down it.
Roman has always been good to me, and I’ve done my best to be good to him, because that’s the kind of friend I am and want to stay.
But telling Roman without giving Dakota the option to tell him first would ruin everything I’ve built with them both over the last eighteen years.
Telling Roman about the asshole move I made earlier isn’t an option. Staying here and being his friend like I should be, is, though.
With the way I’m feeling right now, I’m gonna need to be as occupied as possible anyhow. If not… I know exactly where I’ll end back up, and I’m not sure it’ll be good for anyone tonight.
“…man. Snap out of it.”
“Shit. What?” I bring my attention to Roman, who is waving a shot in my face. “It’s going to be a shot night for you, man. I’ll get us back to my house safe and sound. Drink up and loosen up a bit.”
On a normal night, while out with friends, I’d turn most shots down. It’s not that I have a problem with getting plastered, because it’s how I get to sleep most nights these days.
It’s the fact that being plastered out in public you make huge fucking mistakes that you know you’ll regret the next morning.
And when you’re from a small town where everyone knows each other and everyone talks, the last thing you want to do is give everyone something to talk about for the next month.
“It’s pretty much only us here, man. Frank and Ken have to get back to their wives by nine. The place is ours, and it’s been too fucking long since we’ve had fun together. Come on. Loosen up and have fun.”
I take a moment to look around at the mostly empty bar, before reaching for the shot. “Fuck it.”
I down the shot, followed by a few more, hoping like hell it’ll help erase Dakota from my thoughts for at least tonight.
But I know that’s the last thing that’ll happen when she walks through the door an hour later, looking just as screwed up from our kiss as I am.
She doesn’t notice me at first, so I lean against the pool table and watch as she orders a drink from Mae.
Despite me being halfway to plastered by this point, my heart still feels like it’s about to leap right out of my chest at the sight of her sitting there.
She changed into a pair of tight jeans, the leather jacket I gave her, and the pair of boots with straps all over them that Quinn bought her.
Fuck me, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and she wants nothing more than to kick my ass for being back in town. I still want to go over there right now and kiss some damn sense into her.
Roman elbows me, telling me it’s my turn, before I pull my eyes away from Dakota enough to realize that I’ve been staring like a fucking idiot.
I try my best to focus on taking my shot, but I can’t stop myself from glancing up at the bar, watching as Dakota talks to Mae while she sips on her drink.
Makes me want to kick myself that I moved to a pool table closer to the bar, because it’s impossible to keep my eyes off her.
“Go, gorgeous.” I stiffen when I feel Sylvia’s lips brush against my ear and her arms wrap around my chest. “It’s so hot watching you play pool.”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “That’s nice, but do you mind giving me some space?” I may be drunk, but I’m not that drunk, so I shake her off and attempt to concentrate on my shot.
The last thing I want is her hands all over me. It’s doing absolutely nothing but annoying the shit out of me. Especially, when all I want is for Dakota’s hands to be the ones on me.
“We’re gonna go grab the pizza. See if my sister wants to join us.” Roman and Blake disappear into the back, and Stiles looks over at Dakota as if he’s just noticing her for the first time.
“Damn, pretty girl! Get over here and join us,” Stiles yells across the room, causing Dakota to look our way.
It’s shitty as hell timing too, because Sylvia chooses that very moment to run her hands up my chest and latch her mouth back onto my neck again. Apparently, she’s feeling the liquid courage pretty strong right now.
Right as I’m reaching up to pull Sylvia’s hands away from my chest, Dakota’s gaze lands on me. She’s sitting there, holding the beer to her lips, about to take a drink, but stops the moment she notices Sylvia all over me.
It’s quick, but for a split second, clear jealousy crosses her face before it changes to annoyance. I can almost see her mouth tense around the bottle as she takes a drink, before setting it down and standing.
At this point, Sylvia is completely ignoring me trying to pry her from my body, and inside I’m fucking angry as hell, because I don’t want Dakota to get the wrong idea.
My chest tightens as I watch Dakota place some cash on the bar, before she turns around and walks outside without a word.
“What’s wrong with her?” Stiles questions. “She looks pissed off.”
“I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” Becoming more forceful with Sylvia, I yank her roaming hands away from my body and walk away from her before she can latch onto me again like a leech. “Tell Roman I have to get going.”
“You’re going to leave before they come back out with the pizza? It’s still early,” Sylvia whines. “Don’t go.”
“Yeah. What the hell is so important that you can’t chill with us?” Stiles gives me a suspicious look and throws his arms up.
I begin walking backward, needing to get outside before it’s too late. I try to come up with a damn excuse as to why I’m leaving in such a hurry, but nothing comes to mind.
He must take my silence as the answer, because his expression changes to an “oh fuck” one, right before I rush out the door in search of Dakota.
My heart sinks when I look around the parking lot to find that Mae’s silver Jeep is now taking off down
the road. Dakota wanted to get away from me so damn bad that she borrowed someone else’s vehicle to run away. Talk about a shitty as hell feeling…
Frustration takes over, and I run my hands through my hair, before tugging on it. I need to get back to the hotel and sober up before I even think about contacting Dakota to explain that what she saw in the bar was not at all what she thinks.
“Fucking shit.”
I have to admit, though, that as shitty as it sounds, it feels good to know that it bothered her to see me with someone else. It means she feels at least a small bit the same way as I feel about her, and that’s all I need to not give up on her.
“Where did my sister go?” When I turn around, Roman is standing in the doorway, holding a slice of pizza. He’s looking around as if he expects her to be in the parking lot still.
“Not sure. She must’ve walked here and decided to take Mae’s Jeep home.” I walk past him and back into the bar. “You know your sister. She probably just needed some air.”
“Yeah, I don’t doubt it.” He follows me back over to our friends. “She’s lucky she was only here for one beer. I don’t know what’s her fucking problem lately, but I don’t like it one bit. Something is on her mind that she’s hiding from me.”
Stiles glances our way as if he’s got something on his mind, but takes a bite of his pizza instead of speaking.
“I don’t know,” I mutter. “But I think I’m going to head out soon. I gotta be at the shop early tomorrow. Told your dad I’d be in at seven. That cool with you?”
“Well, shit. So now my dad is taking time away from me hanging with my best friend? Come on. First it was…” He stops and clears his throat, before quickly searching for a shot and slamming it back. “It would just be nice if you stayed a bit longer.
It’s silent for a few moments, because we all know where Roman’s mind is at right now.
“Well, I’m up for some more pool,” Stiles says, breaking the silence. “I’ll take Sylvia on my team and you can have the one over there stuffing her face with pizza and booze if the champ wants to leave.”
Wreck My World Page 10